Sky and HBO extend partnership to 2020

Sky and HBO are set to continue producing new and original dramas after the companies agreed a partnership deal running until 2020.

The deal means Sky Atlantic will remain the place to see exclusive first showings of HBO programming across Ireland and the UK.

As a partnership, HBO and Sky will work to develop new shows to be shown across all their networks, with a focus on projects with the potential for multiple seasons.

The pair have been in partnership since 2010, when Sky Atlantic set the tone for a new wave of programming, spanning nearly a dozen “home of HBO” networks throughout Europe and the world.

New HBO programmes including True Detective and Looking, as well as award-winning shows such as Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Girls will continue to run exclusively on Sky Atlantic.

It is just three years since Sky Atlantic launched in Ireland and the UK, but already it has forged a solid reputation for Sky customers, being one of the top-three must have pay-TV networks.

The deal also covers a multitude of platforms, meaning that HBO content will continue to be available on Sky On Demand, both online and via mobile services.

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Chief Executive, said the partnership would continue the digital TV provider’s efforts to provide the best content from across the globe.

“HBO is synonymous with must-see TV that pushes creative boundaries, so it’s no wonder that Sky Atlantic is such a hit with our customers,” he said.

“Original production is the natural next step for our partnership with HBO and we are enormously excited at the prospect of working together to realise our shared vision for epic drama of a truly spectacular scale.”

Richard Plepler, CEO of Home Box Office, described Sky Atlantic as the “gold standard” and described the deal as following on from similar arrangements elsewhere in the world.

“The team at Sky are true partners and the extension and expansion of our relationship feels like an obvious next step,” he said.

“We are proud to have HBO programming remain a part of the Sky offering and excited to add to it with our joint undertaking in new production.”

The latest agreement joins an existing commitment from Sky to invest €700million a year in homegrown content by 2014.

Sky has already committed to more than 100 hours of original drama for the coming year, including Fleming and The Smoke, to be shown on Sky Atlantic and Sky 1 respectively.